April/May 2021 - 17

season was officially canceled, our
coaching staff kept in close contact
through virtual team meetings.
Psychologists were made available
to meet at any time to help ease any
anxiety or emotions brought on by the
pandemic. Over the next few months,
I felt complete and total support
from my university and I assumed all
other collegiate athletes were treated
similarly. However, I quickly realized
this was far from the truth.
Challenges for Collegiate
Athletes
For many student-athletes,
COVID-19 prompted major challenges
or even catalyzed the end of their
collegiate athletic career. Several
athletic programs across the country
were cut as a result of the lack of
revenue brought in from the 2020
seasons. In fact, according to ESPN,
more than 350 NCAA programs have
been permanently eliminated since
the start of the pandemic. As reported
in The Washington Post, programs
such as Stanford's Men's Volleyball,
Cincinnati's Men's Soccer, and Boise
State's Swim and Dive are just a few
among those who faced this reality. As
a result, thousands of student-athletes
have been forced to either face a
premature end to their athletic careers
or scramble to identify an entirely new
program to take them in.
This sense of loss is a theme for
many of us in the pandemic. Some
have experienced it much more acutely,
losing family members, jobs, childcare,
personal well-being, and much more.
I recognize that the struggles of a
student-athlete during the pandemic
are minute in comparison to the
experiences of those fighting on the
front lines or saying goodbye to loved
ones too soon. For student-athletes,
it's the uncertainty of our futures and
having to grapple with what this " new
normal " means for our athletic careers
that has created grief.
A Path Forward?
Upon writing this, it's been more
than eight months since the pandemic
started, and those of us in college
athletics are still facing constant
uncertainty. My team's training rhythm
is drastically different: athlete-wellness
surveys and temperature checks
must be completed before every
practice, and many of our coaches
are on furlough. Practices, if held, are
socially distanced, limiting teammate
communication and overall morale.
Since the start of the fall semester, the
University of Utah has implemented
several temporary shutdowns across
its athletic department, including
the track and field team. Currently,
my teammates and I are anxiously
awaiting the release of our 2021
Spring schedule, which has been
delayed as a result of the recent spike
in COVID-19 cases nationwide.
Although I understand the
precautions that have been put in
place to ensure our safety, I can't
help but acknowledge their adverse
effect on the psychology of the sport.
As athletes, we often fall under the
category of " Type A " individuals.
We train tirelessly year-round,
meticulously planning out each and
every step necessary to achieve our
goals. With COVID-19 continuing to
loom, the goals we once set are no
longer guaranteed. Regardless of how
hard we work or how much time we
put into getting better, we still may
never be given the opportunity to reach
our full potential. We have no control.
But perhaps we never really had
control in the first place. After all, the
future has never been promised to
anyone, and while we may not have
foreseen a global pandemic on the
rise, a million other things could have
gone wrong along the way. Injuries,
accidents, or simply just falling short
of one's expectations have always been
a part of the sport. All we can control
is how we choose to react when things
don't go our way.
So, as I reflect back on the seasons
past and compare them to my final
season left ahead, I realize that maybe
they're not so different after all.
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COACHAD.COM 17
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April/May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April/May 2021
